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Hair problem
Many people have had receding temples since adolescence and there is nothing wrong with that. What deserves attention is when they start to deepen, in an M or V shape, and the hair at the corners of the forehead becomes finer. Here we explain how to tell one from the other, what may be behind it and what the clinic can offer.
Reviewed by Dr Michelle Campagnoli, clinical director
How to recognise it
Having a receding hairline at the temples is common. What counts is the change: whether the corners of the forehead are rising, getting deeper or have finer hairs than before. These signs can help you tell.
Tick what you recognise
Tick the signs you recognise in your case. This is not a diagnosis, it is only meant to give you an idea.
You recognise some of these signs. They may be natural temples or have another cause. Only a medical assessment can say for sure.
Several signs suggest receding temples. The sooner they are assessed, the more options there are to monitor the progression. Only a medical assessment can confirm it.
Book an assessment consultationSudden hair loss, round patches, heavy scaling, pain or sores on the scalp should be seen without delay, because they usually have another cause.
Corner of the forehead. This is where the temples begin to deepen, with the hair becoming finer and the line rising.
Central point. The middle of the forehead is further forward, and the line forms an M or a V.
Temples. When the hair thins there, the temples look deeper and the face more exposed.
Why it happens
It is rarely just one thing. Choose a cause to see what makes it worse and what helps.
The follicles at the corners of the forehead may be more sensitive to certain hormones and gradually shrink, and the hair becomes shorter and finer. This is the most common explanation, especially in men, and there are usually cases in the family.
Letting years go by assuming they are just family temples, without monitoring.
Measuring and photographing regularly, to see whether there really is progression.
Hormonal changes, such as those of the menopause or of certain gynaecological conditions, can make the temples thin in women. The doctor may request blood tests when they are useful.
Putting it all down to age and not investigating a hormonal change.
Working out, with the doctor, whether there is a hormonal cause to treat.
Ponytails, braids, extensions and tight headwear pull on the root and, over time, the corners of the forehead are among the first to suffer. If caught early, it may stabilise.
Very taut hairstyles, repeated day after day.
Letting the hair down, varying the hairstyle and avoiding pulling on the forehead area.
Iron, vitamin D or zinc deficiency, and thyroid changes, can weaken the hair and add to other causes. Only a blood test can confirm this.
Taking supplements on your own, without knowing what is missing.
Blood tests, when the doctor finds them useful, before any supplement.
Periods of stress, illness or very restrictive diets can make more hair fall out and make the temples more visible, even if the underlying cause is something else.
Poor sleep and restrictive diets.
A diet with enough protein, regular sleep and breaks.
Natural or receding temples
Almost all of us have a forehead line with deeper corners. These signs help distinguish what has always been your shape from what is changing.
What it looks like. Deeper corners since adolescence, with the hair there as thick as on the rest of the head.
How it progresses. They have been stable for years, and old photographs show the same shape.
What the clinic does. The doctor confirms that it is your natural shape and explains how to monitor it.
Follow-up. It is enough to take photographs now and then.
What it looks like. The corners rise and deepen, and the hairs become finer, shorter and lighter.
Warning. Heavy scaling, itching, pain or round patches call for assessment.
What the clinic does. The doctor assesses the pattern, looks for associated causes and proposes a plan.
Tell us at the consultation. Since when you noticed, whether there are cases in the family and which hairstyles you wear: it helps in choosing.
Do your temples seem to be changing? Book an assessment consultation, so the doctor can work out whether it is a natural shape or a thinning worth monitoring.
Book an assessment consultationWhat the clinic can do
Receding temples usually progress slowly, so the plan is designed for you and followed up over time. These are the treatments the doctor may propose after seeing your case.
Regeneration
Vitamins, amino acids, minerals and hyaluronic acid, to nourish the scalp and support finer hair.
Suitable when
the hair at the corners of the forehead is finer and the doctor considers scalp nourishment appropriate.
Find out more→
Regeneration
Platelet-rich plasma, obtained from your own blood, to stimulate the follicle. The doctor first assesses whether it is appropriate.
Suitable when
the temples are thinning and the doctor considers follicle stimulation appropriate.
Find out more→
Advanced regeneration
Regenerative solution to support follicle repair and improve hair thickness.
Suitable when
the doctor considers it useful to reinforce the plan at the temples with a regenerating active ingredient.
Find out more→What about oral therapy and other medical options? When there is a cause to treat, or the temples need more than local care, the doctor explains the options and chooses them after the assessment and, if useful, blood tests. Results are gradual.
What the journey looks like
No treatment starts without an assessment consultation with the doctor. This is how it works.
The doctor asks since when you noticed the receding temples, whether there are cases in the family, which hairstyles you wear and what medication you take, and examines the forehead, the temples and the scalp.
If useful, the doctor requests blood tests for iron, vitamins, zinc, the thyroid and, in women, hormones, and explains what to expect and how long it may take.
She combines the treatments that make sense with care at home and treats the associated causes, always adapted to your case.
We look at the area again after a few months, compare with the photographs and adjust the plan.
Day to day
Monitoring the progression and sparing the forehead from pulling matters a lot, alongside the doctor's plan. These are the habits that count most.
The golden rule
Always take the photograph in the same light, at the same distance and with your hair combed back, and use a ruler to measure the distance from the corner of the forehead to where the hair begins. That way you can see whether there is really a change, instead of relying on memory.
You can only compare what is the same.
In practice: from the front and from each side, in daylight, every 3 months.
A measurement is worth more than an impression.
In practice: note in millimetres the distance from the corner of the forehead to the start of the hair.
Hair is made of protein.
In practice: include eggs, fish, legumes or yoghurt in your meals.
Results depend on persistence.
In practice: follow the agreed plan and attend the reviews.
Pulling on the forehead weakens the roots.
In practice: avoid very tight ponytails, buns and braids every day.
Combing the hair forward disguises it, but delays assessment.
In practice: if you notice a change, book a consultation instead of waiting.
Taking several supplements on your own may not solve anything and can do harm.
In practice: speak to the doctor before taking supplements, especially iron.
Chemicals and heat on the forehead irritate the scalp.
In practice: use a mild shampoo and avoid bleaching near the forehead line.
Who will look after you
At Luxmed, the first step is always an assessment consultation with Dra. Michelle Campagnoli. She works out whether they are natural or receding temples, requests blood tests if useful and designs the plan with you.
Hair medicine
How to tell your usual shape from a change.
Read the article →
Hair medicine
Photographs every 3 months and a ruler.
Read the article →
Hair medicine
When pulling the hair every day can take its toll.
Read the article →Other hair problems
Book a consultation
Choose how you prefer to get in touch. We will arrange the assessment consultation with Dr Michelle Campagnoli.
New Life Miraflores, Algés · Office Center, R. Santa Teresa do Menino Jesus n.º 6, 9.º C, 1495-048
Your details are used only for this contact. Any treatment depends on a prior medical assessment.
Yes. Many people have had deeper corners of the forehead since adolescence, without this being a problem. What deserves attention is a change: temples that deepen or hair that thins there.
Compare old and recent photographs, taken in the same light, and use a ruler to measure the distance from the corner of the forehead to the start of the hair. If the measurement grows over months, it is worth booking a consultation.
They can. In women it is more common for the temples to thin or for hairstyles to cause traction, and the classic male M is less frequent. The doctor assesses your case.
It depends on the case and on how early you start. The aim is usually to halt the progression and improve the thickness of the hair while the follicles are active. The doctor explains what is realistic for you.
Results are gradual and usually become noticeable after a few months of regular treatment. The doctor explains what to expect in your case.
Depending on the case: hair NCTF, hair PRP, hair exosomes, oral therapy and treatment of associated causes. None is chosen before the assessment consultation.
They can contribute. Pulling the hair every day can weaken the roots at the forehead and temples, and if stopped early it may stabilise. The doctor tells you whether that is the case.
There are often cases in the family, on your father's or mother's side, but it is not a given. The assessment helps you understand your case.
They are often useful. The doctor may request iron, vitamin D, zinc, thyroid and, if it makes sense, hormones, because deficiencies and hormonal changes are common.
When you notice that your temples have changed or that the hair there is finer. Sudden hair loss, round patches or a painful scalp should be seen without delay.
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The assistant does not give diagnoses or replace a consultation. The plan and cost of any treatment are set at the medical assessment.